Effective portrait lighting isn't about sticking to strict rules or imitating standard setups. Knowing when and why to adjust your lighting approach directly influences your results, making your portraits feel genuine and expressive.

You're probably convinced your gear is holding your photography back, but what if the real issue is simpler—and far more essential? The problem might be that you're missing three fundamental skills, ones rarely discussed but vital to capturing great images.

Organizing and renaming your photos effectively saves you significant time and frustration. Lightroom isn't just about photo editing—it can transform the way you manage your images, helping you locate and name your files quickly, even if you never touch the editing features.

There’s an unspoken rule in the creative industry: follow up, but don’t expect a reply. What used to be a rare frustration has now become the norm—emails left unanswered, proposals ignored, relationships that once felt solid suddenly vanishing into the ether. The rise of ghosting, a term originally coined for dating culture, has now taken hold in the business world, and creatives are feeling the brunt of it.<--break->

Understanding shutter speed is essential if you want to control movement in your photography. It directly affects how sharp or blurred moving subjects appear in your images.

Street photography is intimidating if you're naturally introverted, but it's entirely manageable once you know how to adapt your style. Interacting with strangers and being highly visible aren't required if you learn to navigate it thoughtfully.

The Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary lens offers an impressive 19x zoom range, designed specifically for APS-C sensor cameras. With a 35mm equivalent of 24-450mm, this lens delivers remarkable versatility, making it appealing for those who need a wide range without constantly changing gear.

Long exposure photography is one of the most effective ways to convey movement in a still image. Whether it’s the soft blur of flowing water, the streaking motion of clouds, or the hypnotic trails of city lights, long exposure transforms scenes into something beyond what the human eye can perceive.

Anyone who has dedicated themselves to photography long enough has felt the harsh undercurrents that run beneath the romantic facade: the self-doubt, the exhaustion, the unrelenting demands of an audience always hungry for more. We’re told to love what we do, but the unspoken caveat is that genuine commitment to photography—as with any passion—demands sacrifice, endurance, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.

Taking your camera for a casual walk without any specific plans can shift how you see everyday surroundings. Many photographers underestimate the value of unstructured, spontaneous sessions, but it’s these low-pressure outings that often yield surprising insights and fresh perspectives.

Photoshop continues to evolve, introducing tools designed to simplify your editing workflow and enhance the quality of your images. Here's a look at five of the best.

The Nikon COOLPIX P1100 is Nikon's latest bridge camera, built for photographers who want an extreme zoom range without changing lenses. With a wild focal length range of 24-3000mm, it's worth a look.

Pricing is a major sticking point for wedding photographers. It can easily turn into an obsession, overshadowing what genuinely matters in your photography business.

You're set to capture something amazing with your camera, but where should you begin? Without a clear process, it's easy to rush, overlook details, or end up with photos that miss the mark. Let’s outline a simple, repeatable approach to help you slow down, capture more, and make each shot count.

Improving your photography isn't just about mastering the technical aspects; it involves insights gathered from real experiences. Understanding the subtle lessons beyond the basics can dramatically shape your photographic journey.

Many photographers debate the necessity of high-resolution cameras, especially when most images today are viewed on small screens. Yet, high megapixel counts offer practical advantages beyond mere sharpness or image quality.

Limiting yourself to a single fixed lens can transform how you see and capture your surroundings. It's a deliberate constraint that makes you rethink every shot and pushes you to become more creative in your photography.

The most valuable skill you can learn in photography might not be what you expect. It’s about taking the ordinary things you see every day and making them stand out visually, transforming the mundane into something striking.

Efficient editing in Lightroom or Camera Raw can significantly elevate the quality of your landscape photos without overwhelming you with complexity. Learning focused techniques helps you produce professional-level results consistently.

The export process in Lightroom Classic helps you efficiently share your images exactly as you envisioned them. However, without the right export approach, even your best edits might not translate well across different platforms or devices.

Facing financial instability as a photographer can carry significant stigma. There's a misconception that picking up a day job implies failure or inadequacy, but it's a conversation worth having.

Sigma recently released the Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS Sports lens, and it has quickly gained attention for good reason. Professional sports and wildlife photography often demands top-tier lenses, usually prime optics around 600mm, but these come with steep price tags. Sigma's newest lens offers substantial savings, priced significantly lower than comparable prime lenses, while providing impressive zoom flexibility and performance.

Dodging and burning can dramatically shape how an image looks, guiding the viewer's eye exactly where you want it. Understanding this skill will elevate your editing, making your subjects pop without relying on overly complex edits.

I enjoy environmental portraits more than anything else because it’s something you can do anywhere, indoors or outdoors, across many genres of photography. The obvious opportunities arise with travel and street photography. So what exactly is an environmental portrait compared to a normal portrait? And where do you start?

Photographic artist Reuben Wu operates his camera like a key to hidden realities. We uncover the story behind Wu's latest project Thin Places, shot with Fujifilm’s new GFX100RF, and learn about the wider practice of an artist who transcends between motion and stillness.

Adobe Lightroom is a very powerful editing tool for your landscape photos. It is also an easy way to ruin your photos during the editing process if you don’t understand the sliders. This video talks through five sliders in Adobe Lightroom that will destroy your images.

Preparing for your first wedding is exciting yet daunting. Getting it right can set the foundation for your career and build your confidence.

When I was growing up, Nintendo's Game Boy was all the rage. I never did quite understand the appeal then of its Game Boy Camera accessory, a camera that plugged into the cartridge slot to make .014-megapixel black and white images, but the accessory itself has become somewhat of a cult hit.

If you haven't seen the new series "Adolescence" on Netflix, it is by far one of the best cinematic experiences of 2025. The four-part drama is being praised not only for its intense subject matter and acting but also because each episode was filmed in a single take with no camera cuts or movie magic transitions. Let's take a look behind the scenes to see how it was filmed.

Real estate photography demands precision because mistakes here don't just affect your immediate project—they shape the entire trajectory of your business. Missteps early on can derail your efforts to build trust and establish a strong professional foundation.

Technology has come a long way over the last ten years, and it makes photography easier. There are features beyond the basic exposure settings that every interchangeable lens or bridge camera should have and others that should be consigned to the bin. Here are some considerations to avoid disappointment.

Editing photos effectively on the go has become a necessity, and Lightroom Mobile makes that process both practical and powerful. With professional editing capabilities packed into your phone or tablet, you're no longer confined to your desktop when refining your images.

A circular polarizer (CP) and a mist filter are two filters that, in my opinion, everyone should own. And PolarPro makes some lovely CP and mist filters. I’ve been using their CP for the past couple of years. From travel photography to tabletop food photography in the studio, it’s a great filter. So, with an already great CP and mist filters to their name, why did PolarPro launch new versions?

In his latest video, Greg Benz shares some surprising raw editing results. The seemingly same setting can have drastically different effects, depending on how you apply it in Camera Raw or Lightroom.

Photographers often debate whether to use flash or continuous lighting, and each option has a direct impact on the appearance and mood of your photographs, as well as affecting the convenience of your workflow.

Improving in photography means taking clear-eyed, practical advice seriously. Good photography demands more than just pressing a shutter—it requires honest self-assessment and the willingness to change habits.

As a travel photographer who has spent years chasing waves across the globe, finding the right water housing has always been a challenge. I’ve lugged around massive setups like AquaTech’s housings, which offer great protection but take up a ridiculous amount of space and weight in my bag. When I discovered the Joby Sea Pal, I was skeptical—could a lightweight, budget-friendly water housing really meet the demands of professional ocean photography? After months of testing it in various conditions with my iPhone 11 Pro Max, I can confidently say: yes, it can.

I don’t usually write about price drops, but RED Cinema and Nikon today announced a major one I think is worth the ink.

Canon's EOS R50 V mirrorless camera targets video creators who prioritize compact designs with interchangeable lenses. For anyone looking to enhance video quality and flexibility, this camera offers features designed specifically to address common challenges faced when filming.

Canon's latest addition to its lens lineup, the RF 20mm f/1.4 L VCM lens, is designed specifically with both video and photo creators in mind. With a notably wide focal length and impressive low-light capabilities, it's worth a look.

Bad photos happen to everyone. Exposure errors, white balance issues, and distracting backgrounds are common challenges, but knowing how to quickly rescue these mistakes can save valuable shots and improve your editing skills.

The smudge and blur tools in Photoshop might seem unnecessary or even damaging at first glance. If you've ever tried using these tools, you've probably noticed they're slow, appear destructive, and generally seem to offer little practical benefit in your workflow.

If you're new to photography and trying to learn the foundational principles of subjects like exposure, shutter speed, aperture, or ISO, then this is the video for you. The best part is, unlike many other sources, you won't be alone in learning them!

Photography is often misunderstood as merely a way to document reality, but in truth, it is an art form as complex and expressive as painting or sculpture. For me, photography is not just a technical process—it is a creative pursuit that requires both artistic vision and craftsmanship.

Choosing the right colors for your shoots can be a significant challenge. Whether you're struggling with gel selection, backdrop choices, or combining colors without creating visual chaos, understanding color harmony is the solution that will transform your approach to creating images.

Image editing isn't just about adjusting contrast and saturation. The true power of photo editing lies in understanding how to work with layers in your composition. When you approach your landscape photos as distinct zones that need individual attention, you can transform ordinary scenes into extraordinary images.

I've been a professional photographer for 23 years and I've never been interested in or attempted wildlife photography. All that changed when Sony sent over the a9 III and their brand-new FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS Lens. This gear, and this genre of photography has renewed my love for photography, but it's also got me worried.

Canon has unveiled a new ultraportable camera in its lineup: the PowerShot V1.

Affordable high-quality video just got a little easier with the release of the Canon EOS R50 V.